Review about CrossFit 353 in Dublin, Ireland.
Location. Community. Coaches. The three things that stood out most to my friends and me while visiting CrossFit 353 in Dublin last month.
I have been doing CrossFit for a little over a year and half now and one of the things I love is dropping in to various CrossFit gyms while traveling. Whether it be Nashville, Iceland, or Ireland, meeting new people and listening to their stories is something I look forward to. You learn different tips and tricks from members and coaches who have different experiences. For example, If it wasn't for a tip that I got from some guy I met at CrossFit Reykjavik last winter, I wouldn't have gotten better at my back squats. So who knows what you might learn?
After a few weeks of us searching for the perfect CrossFit gym to try out on our week trip to Dublin, Jon and I stumbled upon CrossFit 353 due to its high reviews on Google and Yelp. We emailed them and Peter Burke got to us right away with all the information we needed for our Saturday session.
After a night of heavy drinking (because apparently that is all you do in Dublin) we woke up early to make our way to the gym for the morning session. Falling asleep at 2AM the night before did not make it easy and the last thing I wanted to do was hit up a gym hungover and sweat out all the Guinness I consumed hours before. With some convincing from Michelle and Jon, I splashed cold water on my face and next thing I knew we were cabbing to the gym.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted by Coach Gaz who introduced us to his team and the other members of the gym. How do I begin to describe Coach Gaz? He had that kind of aura about him that made you feel very comfortable. He seems to always be laughing and cracking jokes. A handsome fella whose personality aligns perfectly. Much like the other coaches, Coach Gaz had a body nothing short of #bodgoals. And his butt was the definition of the 🍑 emoji. Look it up. Next to the peach emoji is a picture of Coach Gaz with two thumbs up. But it wasn't just Coach Gaz. CrossFit 353 had some of the most attractive men and women in Dublin and they seem to all huddle there on Saturday mornings to keep their toned physique. Believe me, it was a little difficult to concentrate.
Alright, now to what you came here to read...
CrossFit 353 is pretty much like all other CrossFit gyms. Your warehouse-like atmosphere, music pouring out of speakers, floors lined with black rubber mats, infinity rigs, barbells, rowers and everything you need for a full body smackdown.
The partner WOD was simple: 1 mile run (each person), 200 bar over burpees (split), and 100 hang power cleans (split) with a 35 minute time-cap. Fun right?
Simple was what was going through my head when Coach Gaz explained it to us. "I got this! It's only 3 movements, Aray. How hard can it be? I downed 4 Jameson shots back to back the night before and left the pubs without puking. I got this!" Welp... easy was NOT the word going through my head. I can think of 10 colorful words that made the list. I remember huffing and puffing while looking up at the clock and telling Jon, "F@&! we aren't even half way!"
I was very impressed by those Dublin crossfitters. They were on a mission to finish. Jon and I finished in 32 minutes while the average partners finished in 28 minutes. I will admit, it was a pretty fun workout. The mile run we took had a nice scenic view and we got to see another part of the city we wouldn't have been to.
We were just happy to be working out the unhealthy dieting and drinking from the week. As people finished some members cheered us on all the way. Felt good knowing that even though you might not know anyone at Crossfit 353, they treat you like family. Now that is an accepting community.
The CrossFit community worldwide is generally a pretty tight bunch. I will say that I do love how everyone seems to really push each other to achieve fitness goals. I have been to a couple of CrossFit gyms in other countries and in every one of them the people have been so welcoming and helpful.
After the workout Coach Gaz gave us a very detailed list of places to check out in Dublin and even invited us out for drinks later that evening. One of the members, Sean Beecher, even told us about Cassidy's where they play live Irish folklore music on Sunday nights. If you get a chance, please go! It was one of my favorite nights of the week.
So, next time you're in Dublin check out CrossFit 353. If you're an experienced crossfitter, someone who works out for fun, or are considering joining a CrossFit gym, the coaches and members at CrossFit 353 are really fun and will definitely treat you right and work with you to work up a sweat.